10 Easy Overnight Recipes That Cook Themselves

Quick, healthy, hassle-free meals anyone can make and enjoy.

Don’t have time to cook? These 10 dishes cook themselves—and all you need to do is toss together the ingredients. It’s the perfect way to make sure you have a healthy meal ready when you get home without much work.

Recipe: Fiesta Chicken and Black Bean Soup

A hearty soup filled with protein and fiber can be paired with a sandwich for a hearty lunch or have a large bowl as a muscle-building snack.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 6

Start to Finish: 8 hours, 10 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 8 hour

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium yellow or red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (10 oz) can of tomatoes

1 (4.5 oz) can of chopped green chilis

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon ground chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

1½ cups water

2 tablespoons masa harina

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)

Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat canola oil over medium flame. Add onions and sauté until soft (about 5 minutes), remove from heat.

2. Mix the masa harina with the water and set aside

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker in the order listed with the chicken breasts sitting on top. Pour the masa harina and water mixture over the chicken. Add the sautéed onions to the slow cooker.

4. Set on low for 8 hours and then keep warm.

5. After the soup is finished, take two forks to shred the chicken, which is moist and tender.

Recipe: Vanilla Pear Almond Steel Cut Oats

This overnight oatmeal recipe is perfect to make on Sunday so it can last throughout the week. Try your favorite toppings or this almond-pear combination listed below. If you want to cut back on some sugar, use only 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey. You’ll save about 5 grams of sugar per teaspoon of honey you skip.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 5

Start to Finish: 4 hours, 10 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 4 hours to overnight

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oatmeal

4½ cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

For pear almond topping (single serving)

½ diced fresh pear

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of cinnamon

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon of toasted almonds

Instructions:

1. Add oats, water, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium low and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chia seeds so they are mixed evenly throughout. Place the lid on the pan and set aside to cool. Then, place in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Transfer the oatmeal to a re-sealable container to store throughout the week. When you're ready for a bowl of oatmeal, spoon about ½ to 1/3 cup into a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 1 to 1½ minutes until hot. Dress your oats with the pear almond topping above or as you like it.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pulled Teriyaki Chicken

Make a batch of teriyaki chicken and use to make Asian-flavored tacos, sandwiches, or top over a salad.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 4

Start to Finish: 4 hours, 5 minutes

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 4 hours

Ingredients:

1 lb organic chicken breast, thin

2 tablespoons low sodium teriyaki marinade and dressing

2 Vidalia onions, large, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Add chicken breast to slow cooker on high. Top with teriyaki and onions. Cook on high for approximately 4 hours (cook time will vary depending on thickness of chicken breast and quantity of chicken used). Stir halfway through, if possible. At 3.5 hours, shred chicken and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.

Recipe: Crock Pot 3-Bean Chipotle and Collards Chili

Make a batch of this outstanding chili and freeze half for a hectic weeknight. If you’re watching your sodium, then be sure to buy no sodium added canned beans or rinse them to remove up to 40-percent of the sodium.

1. Bring a small pot of 3 cups of water to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from heat and place the dehydrated chipotle pepper in the water and top with a lid. Let steam until the pepper is rehydrated, about 3 minutes.

2. Remove the stem from the rehydrated chipotle pepper, as well as the seeds (reserve a few if you prefer more heat in your chili). Place the chipotle in a blender with 2-3 cups of the steam water and blend until smooth, adding seeds as desired (be sure to taste test so it doesn’t become too spicy for your taste).

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

The sweet and tender pork is a must-have for Sunday football. Serve in quesadillas, on a whole grain bun, or with a side of whole grains.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 10

Start to Finish: 7 hours, 10 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: About 7 hours

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

3 medium-sized pork tenderloins (about 3 pounds), cut in half

1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

1/2 cup BBQ sauce (Trader Joe’s brand recommended)

Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Place fennel and onion in the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, season with salt and pepper. Then season pork with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear 3 pieces of the pork, cooking for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker on top of fennel and onion; repeat with remaining oil and pieces of pork.

3. After removing pork, pour apple cider into hot skillet and cook for 2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour apple cider mixture into slow cooker, followed by BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

4. After 7 hours remove lid and shred pork using 2 forks. Add more BBQ sauce if desired. Cover and cook for one hour more.

* *Chefs note: If the mixture is too watery, drain some of the juices and transfer to a small saucepan; boil until it is reduced as desired and add back to slow cooker.

Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are “cooked” when mixed together with a liquid. Although this recipe calls for vanilla almond milk, choose whichever type of milk you like such as coconut, cashew, or traditional cow’s milk.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 4

Start to Finish: 10 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 0 minutes

Ingredients:

6 oz. fresh blackberries (save some for topping later)

1½ cups vanilla almond milk

¼ cup chia seeds

Drizzle of honey

2-3 tablespoon sliced or chopped almonds

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, crush blackberries using a fork until pureed.

2. Add milk, chia seeds, and drizzle honey. Mix everything together and leave it for a few hours to overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Top with crushed almonds and more fresh blackberries right before serving.

3. Lay chicken on top of the vegetables and pour tomatoes, chicken broth, and cilantro over the meat and vegetables.

4. Cover and cook on low heat setting for eight hours.

5. Once chicken is cooked, transfer a few pieces of meat and 1/4 to 1/2 cup broth out of the slow cooker into a large bowl. With two forks, shred the meat. Continue adding chicken and some broth to the bowl until all meat is shredded. Either transfer meat back into the cooker to keep it warm, or keep it in a separate bowl for easy taco assembly.

To Assemble Tacos:

6. Warm corn tortillas over a cast iron griddle (a comal or placa) individually or stack four to six corn tortillas wrapped in foil in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-15 minutes. Or, stack four to six corn tortillas wrapped inside a damp cloth towel and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until pliable.

7. Lay down a tortilla and fill with about 1/4 cup shredded slow cooked chicken, two teaspoons of slow cooked vegetables, one teaspoon of cilantro, a tablespoon of diced tomato, one tablespoon of shredded cheese, diced avocado and juice from 1/2 a key lime. Repeat process and enjoy!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Cretan Gigantes Beans

These large white, fleshy beans are rich and satisfying. They’re filled with both fiber and protein. You can find gigantes beans in specialty shops or online, or you can substitute large lima beans.

Skill level: Beginner

Serves: 8

Start to Finish: 8 hours, 10 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 8 hours to overnight

Ingredients:

2 cups dried gigantes beans (or large lima beans)

4 cups water

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, diced

½ cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon marjoram

½ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans for at least 4 hours in water before cooking. Drain off the water, then place beans in a crockpot. Note: You can place unsoaked beans in the slow cooker and they will become tender by cooking them for 8 hours. However, they may require additional water, and draining off soaking water helps make beans a bit more digestible.